What headphones do you use?

[. . .]

What headphones do you use?

I'm likely one of the few here who uses bad phones. I spend so much time listening to music on my headphones, yet they suck. Why do I use these?

I won't even mention the brand/model of my headphones - that's how bad they are. I've been using them since high-school and they have duct tape on them because they've fallen apart many times already. I want to get rid of these old clunkers and get a pair of high-end phones.

I've done some research on headphones. These are two pairs of headphones I'm considering getting:

• Audio-Technica ATH-M50S
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Koss Portapro
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Anyone hear of those phones before?

The Portapros are much cheaper than the ATH50S, but I still don't know if I want excellent headphones or . . . less excellent ones. The Portapros are considered by many as being some of the best "bang for your buck" phones out there but those ATH50S sound so damn perfect. What I mostly want are phones that have lots of clarity and aren't too bass-heavy; I'm not a big fan of bass. I know that the Portapros look kind of geeky and old-school but looks don't matter to me when it comes to electronic devices. But I actually don't mind the look of them - they look rather unique. I might get them and be content with them for now since they're cheap and are highly regarded by most audiophiles despite having a cheap price tag. Hmm, but I still don't know!

Anyway: I'm really curious to see what you folks use.

 

[GhettoButterFly]

Sadly my Skull Candies keep breaking every three to six months, so it's kind of aggravating after a while.

Now I am just using these Sony Ear buds for my second gen iPod shuffle. :S I wish I can find a good pair of Skull Candy Ear buds that will last for a year or more. >_<;

If I could get any pair of headphones or ear buds it would be either...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tags-on-product/B000UVM0ES?ie=UTF8&sortBy=popularity&page=3

or

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=...io_headphones/around_ear_headphones/index.jsp

To bad I'll have to settle for another pair of Skull Candies the next time I can get them. :-/

 

[. . .]

I'm going to get the Koss Portapros; I can't go wrong with them. People who've spent thousands of dollars on headphones told me that the Portapros are among their favorite phones and that they prefer them to some pairs of headphones they own that cost them three and even four times as money money as the Portapros. And another thing that makes them seem promising is the fact that they have a lifetime warranty.

I'll buy them, along with a few other things, on Friday when my PayPal account will have more funds in it.

I'll likely get the Audio-Technica ATH-M50S in the future when I have a bit more money to blow. I think I'll also get a headphone amp to use with them t0 allow for higher volume and better sound quality.

 

[Droopy]

I wish I can find a good pair of Skull Candy Ear buds that will last for a year or more. >_<;

Personally I would avoid Skull Candy if possible. If you want a decent pair go for Sennheiser or high-end Sony and always avoid Apple ear buds for your iPod.

And another thing that makes them seem promising is the fact that they have a lifetime warranty.

Is that warranty for life or "life" in manufacturer's terms?

 

[jaws]

I use to use Sure earbuds ($199) and ripped the cord after about 2yrs...bought another set ($299) and sweat ruined them one side just quit working after about 3 months. Was annoyed and thought about Beats Audio ones, but went with Klipsh set for about ($69) and they are far better than either of my Sure ones were. Not sure about their durability, but seem to be holding up well.

 

[. . .]

Is that warranty for life or "life" in manufacturer's terms?

I don't know what you mean. The warranty definitely is legit though - they really do send you a new pair if your pair breaks. You just ship your headphones to them in the mail and they'll send you out a brand new pair.

 

[Droopy]

I don't know what you mean. The warranty definitely is legit though - they really do send you a new pair if your pair breaks. You just ship your headphones to them in the mail and they'll send you out a brand new pair.

I'm talking about this:

A lifetime warranty is usually a guarantee on the lifetime of the product on the market rather than the lifetime of the consumer[1] (the exact meaning should be defined in the actual warranty documentation). If a product has been discontinued and is no longer available, the warranty may last a limited period longer.

So basically the warranty does not last forever like most people would assume.

 

[. . .]

Well I'm not sure Calvert, but this line of headphones has been around for 25 years and have been bestsellers since they went on the market. So for them to suddenly stop being manufactured would be extremely improbable.

 

[GhettoButterFly]

Personally I would avoid Skull Candy if possible. If you want a decent pair go for Sennheiser or high-end Sony and always avoid Apple ear buds for your iPod.

Thanks! I will try to remember that next time.

 

[NightHawk877]

Also avoid Bose.

Definition of Bose: Buy Other Sound Equipment.

I use these these: Ultimate Ears Triple - fi 10 vi.
View attachment 785
For monitoring myself when I record my trumpet playing I use these. A pair of Sennheiser HD-800s
View attachment 786

 

[gonzerd]

I'm currently using a pair of WeSC Oboes, which aren't much to shout about in terms of audio quality, but I liked the design.

I don't usually shell out a lot on a headphone, as they always seem to break down when I'm out of money (or I'm just always out of money :twitcy and my cat has had some violent tendencies towards headphones and earbuds in the past, rendering any kind of warranty pretty much useless.
But I would really like a pair of these B&W P5's. I found a pair of 40 year old B&W speakers in the thrift store last fall and they sound absolutely awesome, so if the headphones sound anything alike, I'd be very happy. And they come with an extra cable with a microphone and remote for the iPod.

 

[WildCat]

Using a pair of Phillips(?), the kind that wrap over your ear with the speaker bud in the center and they're clogged with earwax. Gross, I know, but it's my earwax right? I'm not that enthusiastic about quality headphones despite my cravings for music, last pair I got were some Sony w/ detachable earbuds and those wreaked havoc on my ears.

Needless to say that's the last time I'm buying any earbuds. Maybe, perhaps I didn't do enough research? Anyone have any recommendations?

 

[NightHawk877]

Don't buy earbuds. You should buy in-ear phones or over the head. Earbuds do not provide god sound quality because they are not fully inserted into the ear and have horrible isolation. In ear phones do not leak out sound and isolate very well because they seal the ear canal. For the over the head types, find something comfortable. I prefer the kind that enclose the ear so no sound would leak out. Just my $.02.

 

[*RocinanteRuminates*]

Sennheiser earphones.

 

[Geordie]

I don't use headphones. Rock and roll all the way? Lol

 

[. . .]

Currently these:

I haven't had my Portapros for long, but they've served me well.

I'll be getting these either this year or early next year:

I want neutral, warm-sounding headphones that don't have extremely heavy bass (I've never been much of a bass-head) and work with most genres of music and are: Highly portable, aesthetically-pleasing, reasonably-priced and don't require an amp to work effectively; the ATH-ESW9s fit the bill. They have a list price of $749.95 on Amazon.com but you can find them on many sites for about $200. The only ones you'll find under $200 will be fake and/or used.

They're not very well-known phones, but most people who've used them love them.

 

[Droopy]

Those headphones do look nice but they don't seem the type of headphones that would carry a $749.95 price tag. They must have really good sound quality.

 

[King_Oni]

If I ever came around those in a store, I'm absolutely trying them out. But then again, I'm usually trying out headphones/soundsystems in stores from time to time. Most stores unfortunately only have the more popular expensive stuff... like those, IMO, really bad Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. They're fine as a whole, but they in general only sound good if you like music with lots of base, ergo; hip-hop and some electronic stuff.

But yeah.. 750 is a lot.

Currently I have Sony MDR-XD200's which are fine. Paid about 35 euro for them, which is quite cheap. Checked out some headphones, but I thought this was the best. Apparently, it is one of the better price/quality headphones around or so I've read. Yay me for buying stuff without reviews and finding good stuff I guess.

View attachment 1492

 

[Droopy]

like those, IMO, really bad Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. They're fine as a whole, but they in general only sound good if you like music with lots of base, ergo; hip-hop and some electronic stuff.

I recently tried a pair of Beats Pro and Detox headphones. I found that they work well with urban music and provide powerful bass but they don't seem to perform well with other music genres like indie/alternative. The Beats headphones will totally smoke stock earbuds, like the ones that come with the iPod, but they aren't the best headphones in the world as Dr Dre would have you believe. I used to own a pair of the original Beats by Dre but went through two pairs as they both broke due to poor build quality around the headband. Eventually I got a refund and bought a pair of Sony MDR-NC500D.

Having good headphones doesn't mean you'll get good sound though, you also need a good music player and a quality music file (like Flac) too.

 

[King_Oni]

I recently tried a pair of Beats Pro and Detox headphones. I found that they work well with urban music and provide powerful bass but they don't seem to perform well with other music genres like indie/alternative. The Beats headphones will totally smoke stock earbuds, like the ones that come with the iPod, but they aren't the best headphones in the world as Dr Dre would have you believe. I used to own a pair of the original Beats by Dre but went through two pairs as they both broke due to poor build quality around the headband. Eventually I got a refund and bought a pair of Sony MDR-NC500D.

Having good headphones doesn't mean you'll get good sound though, you also need a good music player and a quality music file (like Flac) too.

Yeah, that's what I said about the Beats and hip-hop... it works for stuff with a powerfull bass, just not for stuff "in general". Which IMO should because for that money, I also like to enjoy stuff that's not muddy with bass.

Most earbuds are better than stock stuff. I used the ipod ones only when I got them with my ipod for a day. I switched to other ones. Even rather cheap ones I think are better than the ipod thing.

As for good music players and formats... I agree. I'm just not to sold on the entire FLAC format. I might as well just run 24-bit wav. I think being portable comes at a price. And I don't really want to reformat my entire 80 GB of mp3's into another format, which is larger even.

As someone who does dab a bit into music production, it's kinda funny that nowadays, you've almost have to mix down to "sub-optimal" levels as people will even play music on crappy telephone speakers and expect it to sound good. But I've also seen people that played their music really, really loud up to the point where it got distorted and they didn't seem to mind because "hey! loud music!". (or they just couldn't hear my remark because of the loudness)